Dominion

The Dominion (Vachai: elliē drēsēo, lit. "Golden Empire"; or simply drēsēo) is the name given to the sprawling empire of the Vachai civilization. It was founded in 274, following the bloody Vachai Wars, in which the city-state of Cōrienor subdued the other Vachai maritime republics and ended the Confederation. Since then, the Dominion has expanded throughout the western end of the Great Continent, conquering lands and peoples and becoming the largest and richest empire in the history of humanity.

Nominally, the Dominion is ruled by the Emperor, who lives in Cōrienor and is elected from amongst the noble houses of the Capital to rule for life. In practice, however, the Emperor's influence rarely extends beyond the capital's city walls, and the rich noble houses have considerably more power given their business ventures with other cities across the Dominion.

In the past few decades, slave revolts and resistance movements in the empire's far-ends have shaken the Dominion's stability, and the Emperor's diminished authority has granted the independent cities' sealords far more power, putting the Dominion's political balance in jeopardy.

The Dominion is generally represented by the Golden Banner, a square, golden-shaped flag that is used in battle.